New Piece finally Finished

Accountable - Xa xalh Xechnging, 2020, Acrylic on Wood

In the Summer of 2019, an editorial appeared in the Seattle Times by Lawrence Solomon a Lummi Nation council member. He revealed an allegory and incorporated some Lushootseed phrases about the gift of salmon to the native people only after they pledged their Xa xalh Xechnging (Sacred Obligation). The essay went on to speak of the plight of the resident qwe’lhol’mechen (orcas) and complex environmental and economic nature of the Salish sea. Concurrently, there was a new orca calf born to the resident J pod. It is apparent that these creatures inhabit the indigenous, western, and scientific realms. This relic addresses the orca’s struggle and questions the issue of cultural appropriation.